I want to be like “the rose notes are a pink rose, first bloom of spring, a tender, easy rose, like the kind you buy for a fresh love.”

Or perhaps “this rose is a sultry red, the color of midnight kisses and lipstick on the collar. It’s the last wisp of your lover’s perfume on your clothes as you drive away into the shuddering rain, alone.”

But I can’t taste that.

I’m getting a lot of spices. Which is totally what a chai should be — a violent slam to the face of cinnamon and its squad. So crazy-spiced that you’ve gotta cut it with vanilla almond milk to handle it.

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

There is something so wonderful about knowing a product is homemade. Knowing someone has put time and energy and effort into producing a high quality item and that they want to share that item with the world… well, that’s insanely cool in my book. Maybe that’s why I can’t help but smile every time I open my container of Meegs Tea from the Tea Dude. There’s a simple sticker on the back of the tin that proudly states that the herbal blend is home produced. Don’t be fooled though. This is a rich, flavorful blend that is as good or better than many of those from the Big Name tea companies out there.

The ingredients in Meegs Tea are simple: honeybush, cinnamon, clove, star anis, fennel seed. The mixture of these ingredients is what makes this blend so special. There’s a balance that keeps all of the flavors swirling together without any one ingredient dominating the others. I usually find teas with clove to often have an almost overpowering clove flavor, but that’s not the case with Meegs Tea. Instead, I get a spicy mixture of flavors with a woody note from the honeybush that I find delightful. This blend is wonderful for these late fall days heading into the holiday season. Since there’s no caffeine in this tea is a great way to wind down while still enjoying the flavors of the season.

I will say that the fennel seed in this blend made me a bit wary. I’m not a big fan of fennel in my food because it tends to dominate any other flavors. However, like the clove and other spices, the fennel in this tea has been added with a careful hand so that it doesn’t drown out the other flavors. I actually really like the addition of fennel. It adds an interesting and tasty twist, and it makes me think of drinking a nice chai tea at an upscale spa. That might just be me though.

I’d say give Meegs Tea a try If you’re looking for an herbal tea that’s a bit different from a lot of the other teas out there. It’s great for the end of fall, great for the holidays, and it’s a great any time of day pick-me-up. Plus, you’ll be getting a lovely, high quality, homemade tea. What’s not to love about that?

Are you ready for a Yerba Mate review? Next up is…Burgundy Yerba from Tea Dude! I have to admit that Yerba Mate is down on my list of priorities when consuming and reviewing. It’s not that I don’t like Yerba Mate it’s just that I like so many other teas more regularly and it’s hard to fine interestingly-flavored Yerba Mates that I really want to try!

Burgundy Yerba from Tea Dude was pretty good but I had to do this one ICED. WHY? You guessed it – because of the Hibiscus! I think this was a little heavy on the Hibiscus and that is coming from someone who isn’t fond of that particular ingredient so you might find it to be fine and dandy!

Having stated my dislike for Hibiscus MANY times I will say that Burgundy Yerba from Tea Dude was pretty good ICED. I really loved the addition of the orange peel which was probably my favorite part in this. The natural flavor of Yerba Mate was stomped on by the hibiscus and orange peel which was ok especially if you want to consume more Yerba Mate and aren’t specifically looking for the taste of Yerba Mate.

Another thing I really liked about Burgundy Yerba from Tea Dude was the end sip and aftertaste. It was very pleasant. It was fruity
but didn’t leave a funky aftertaste like some fruity and hibiscus teas and tisanes tend to leave behind.

The energy boost of Burgundy Yerba from Tea Dude wasn’t too shabby either. That’s the TRUE reason I do enjoy Yerba Mate when I do consume it. All-in-All I found Burgundy Yerba from Tea Dude to be pretty tasty and satisfying

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Yerba Mate

Where to Buy: Tea Dude

Description

Yerba Mate with hibiscus flowers and orange peel added for flavor. Love the health benefits of Yerba Mate, but not the taste? I fixed it for you! Great as a weight loss supplement! Use approximately 1 tsp. per cup.

Co-Founder/Co-Creator of Sororitea Sisters at Sororitea Sisters
Jennifer (TeaEqualsBliss) is in her upper 30s and lives in the eastern snowbelt area of the US with her husband, 3 dogs, and cat (however the number of furkids can change at anytime as she LOVES providing a forever home for many shelter animals. Her several interests include music, movies, veganism, sports, traveling, collecting Baseball Cards and Unicorns, Radio, Computers, Crafting, and of course…TEA. She started drinking tea at the tender age of 3 thanks to her Grandmother and her love for tea has gotten stronger with each year! In addition to being a co-founder/co-creator of Sororitea Sisters - her main site is MyBlissfulJourney.com. Find out more about Jennifer on MyBlissfulJourney.com.

I’ve had Rose Chai before from a few different companies. Some have been extremely floral because of the rose and others being extremely chai because of the spices. Rose Chai from Tea Dude went about this offering in a different way

Tea Dude’s Rose Chai has – what I would consider – mellower spicy chai flavors and more delicate rose flavors, too! Both the chai and the rose are a bit more muted than other chais or rose chais that I have had in the past. If you are looking for an enjoyable cuppa without the LOUD flavors this might be more your speed compared to the ones that tend to go the ‘spicier the better.’

One thing I did want to point out is that Tea Dude included Rosehips in his Rose Chai. Most other Rose Chais I have tried just contain rose petals not BOTH Rose Petals AND Rosehips. This is certainly a PLUS in my book! Rosehips are the actual fruit from the rose tree and are high in Vitamin C. I found the Rosehips in this Rose Chai to be barely noticeable in terms of flavor but I am completely ok with that because I don’t think I would want a fruity type taste in this cuppa.

Co-Founder/Co-Creator of Sororitea Sisters at Sororitea Sisters
Jennifer (TeaEqualsBliss) is in her upper 30s and lives in the eastern snowbelt area of the US with her husband, 3 dogs, and cat (however the number of furkids can change at anytime as she LOVES providing a forever home for many shelter animals. Her several interests include music, movies, veganism, sports, traveling, collecting Baseball Cards and Unicorns, Radio, Computers, Crafting, and of course…TEA. She started drinking tea at the tender age of 3 thanks to her Grandmother and her love for tea has gotten stronger with each year! In addition to being a co-founder/co-creator of Sororitea Sisters - her main site is MyBlissfulJourney.com. Find out more about Jennifer on MyBlissfulJourney.com.

Tea Description:

Taster’s Review:

Tonight was just one of those nights were I was craving an herbal tea. I looked thru my tea stash and stumbled upon this beauty. I have been wanting to try tea from the Tea Dude in a long time and it was finally time!

This particular tea is an herbal with a lemon flair. First whiff of the dry leaves you definitely get that familiar herbal aroma but with a fresh kiss of a citrus touch. Gentle yet there. I couldn’t wait to steep this up. Scooped out a few scoops into my tea pot and boiled water. About 8 minutes later, I was ready to try my first sip.

The description nails this one. This tea does have a candy sweetness that reminds you of PEZ. I love candy so this was perfect for me. Sweet with a lemon twist in every sip. There isn’t an earthy or grassy like flavor that you can get from herbals. This is just straight delicious lemon flavored herbal tea. This tea is a perfect tea to just sit down with a good book and snuggle in. Or with a good show and binge all 5 seasons in one day. I can see myself getting lost with a cuppa of this in a horror movie. I can also see this being an incredibly soothing tea to enjoy after a long stressful day or even if you have sinus issues like I do. Calming, relaxing, soothing and great tasting. . .I’m so impressed with this delight!

To me this is the perfect herbal tea. Sweet yet not overly so with a hint of that honeybush flavor I do so enjoy. Lemon Candy Pez. . . I’m in!

I am a late 30s something mom who loves her family, will be getting married to a wonderful guy and has 4 kids (2 mine-2 his). We have a beautiful life together and I wouldn't change a thing.
Tea is a passion that quickly turned into an obsession, very similar to my love for polka dots, the horror genre, and anything that is geeky and fun. I drink all kinds of tea and will try a tea twice to make sure I didn't bumble the first infusion.
Besides SororiTea Sisters, I'm also the blogger and genius (I use that word very loosely) behind CuppaGeek, where I review tea, books, and the horror genre.